Smoky nuances add breadth to the exuberantly spicy nose of pear, apple citrus confit and a plethora of floral elements. Like the Bâtard, the broad-shouldered flavors possess a positively gorgeous mouthfeel along with excellent underlying tension while displaying superb length on the compact, youthfully austere and beautifully balanced finale. This palate coating effort is also very backward, and I would suggest not touching a bottle for at least 7 to 8 years.

Score: 96 Allen Meadow (AM), Bourghound (BH), June 2022

The 2020 Montrachet Grand Cru veers more towards yellow fruit on the nose, with touches of wilted flowers, sesame oil and smoke. The palate is well-balanced with an oily-textured opening. There´s fine acidity, real depth and grip to this Montrachet, an almost "hulking monster" now but give it plenty of bottle age and it will turn into a "handsome prince". Cellar, wait, then savor. Awesome. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

“The 2020 vintage was easy overall – no hail or maladies, but a precocious harvest, so we started picking August 22,” Damien Colin explained when I dropped in at his winery in the confusingly named village of Gamay. “You would think that the wines are rich, but they’re not at all like that. The whites are coming back to a more classic style of Burgundy, less ripe and rich than the previous two vintages, with a lot of freshness. With the maturity and acidity levels, I felt that we should reduce the percentage of new oak to preserve this freshness and also pick each parcel at optimal maturity within the climat. For example, the Chassagne-Montrachet Village was picked over five different days, and the same for the En Remilly, whereas before they were picked and blended in the vat on the same day. Each parcel is vinified separately and then blended to try to respect the maturity of each one. There is no bâtonnage, and now I use three cooperages instead of ten: Chassin, François Frères and one in Cognac. I no longer use foudres because the domaine is smaller and we have smaller yields, so the wine is just matured in piéces. All the wines have been in vat since September. I prefer the 2020 to the 2019 because it is more Bourguignon, more classic in style.” This was a fabulous set of 2020s from Damien Colin, full of verve and precision.

Score: 98 Neal Martin (NM), Vinous Media (VM), May 2024

Vinified and matured, like the Bâtard, in two once-used barrels, Colin´s 2020 Montrachet Grand Cru unfurls to reveal aromas of pear, confit citrus, honeycomb, white flowers, fresh mint and buttered popcorn. Full-bodied, ample and satiny, it´s deep and multidimensional, with high concentration, racy acids and a long, saline finish. This should rival and perhaps surpass the terrific 2017 rendition.

Damien Colin began picking on August 22 in 2020. Now that the domaine is smaller, following his two brothers´ secessions, he is able to be ultra precise about harvest date, sampling parcel by parcel, he tells me, and small volumes of wine mean longer élevage is feasible too. Percentages of new oak are down a touch in 2020, with no new wood at all for the grands crus, but foudres and larger barrels are also out of the picture, Damien finding most coopers´ 228-liter barrels more consistent, and in any case, better adapted to vinifying smaller quantities. Pure, precise and flavorful, the 2020s are a terrific success at this address.

Score: 95-97 William Kelley (WK), The Wine Advocate (WA), January 2022